iron question

Hello all,   Please excuse me for sneaking in here (I am a vsg patient) but I have a question and from lurking around here (my dtr had rny last month) I see you guys have many folks who are quite knowledgeable about vitamins/minerals.

I am 11 months out from my vsg and awaiting being converted to rny for severe reflux.  I have an AWFUL time getting in enough iron...  I have been taking 2 of the bariatric advantage choc raspberry iron chews with 500 mg -1000 mg of vit c a day, I have taken ferrimin, vitalady tender iron...   you name it... kaiser's ferrous gluconate....    Anyway, despite increasing my doses my iron and ferritin have continued to drop...   iron is 11 and ferritin is 6.  My hgb and hct are now dropping and I am WIPED out.  My bariatric doctor has now recommended venofer/iron sucrose infusions.   Have any of you done this?  Did it help your energy, and if so how quickly?  Between being a RN and a mom of 5 kids... then now this anemia...  I am so wiped out.   I have seen mixed results on the infusions, but I thought maybe someone here might have some experience.    I am particularly worried about already having such low levels prior to adding the malabsorptive issue to things, although my doctor thinks once my gut starts moving again and my pyloric valve is gone I will actually tolerate my vitamins better.  Thanks soooo much!     Amy

Do the iron infusions, for sure.  I have not had it done, apparently I absorb iron super well for some reason.  I don't even take that much of it and my iron and ferritin levels are great.  But a number of people here on the RNY board have had them and you really need to get those numbers up.

You might want to consider switching to heme iron as well.  There is a brand called Proferin which I believe you can order from vitalady.com.  It is supposed to be absorbed really well, even after RNY.  It's expensive.  But I know a few people that had taken huge doses of other types of iron and found it to be the only thing that worked.  As a bonus, it can also be taken with your calcium!

You might also wanna check out Andrea's blog at wlsvitagarten.com.  She had a terrible time absorbing iron and I think the Proferin is working well for her now, but she has lots of good info about iron.

I've had iron infussions for 10 years or more.   They make me feel so much better.  If they make you a little sick, just have the dr. give you some nausea meds before you take the iron.

Specifically, how are iron infusions done?  Do you give them to yourself or is it at the dr.'s office?  What is it like.  I ask this b/c my iron has always been pretty low and now I got my three month labs back and again my iron is lower than before.  Infusions are possibly in my future....I know nothing about it, I would love to hear details. Thanks

They gave them to me in a series of three or four.  I got them in an IV and it took about 2 or so hours each time.  They gave one bag a week.  They may give them in the same room where they give chemo to cancer patients.  I sat in a recliner (with others in the room) and read a book or magazine.  Really was not that bad.

Thank you both very much!   I am going to start them, just waiting for my appt.  In my support group (which is a different program then where I get my care)  the nurse case manager tha runs it said they are awful to come off of and I should just keep upping my oral iron...  My bariatric MD who is top notch at vitamins, physiology etc said I should do them.  Just wondering if people had heard of having problems coming off it?    I was on IV feeding for almost 6 months from some complicatioons after my sleeve so I am sure everything got depleted when I couldn't eat or take many vitamins... (multi vit was in infusion and I could take the b12 ta least)  I think if I could get the iron levels up relativeley quickly I could keep it up between trying the heme iron and the chews I use now.  Thanks for the info!    Amy

I had no problems with my infussions after they were given.